Dragon Child
by Nicole Lauren
Summary: Liam, the Shang warrior we met in The Lioness Rampant, was indeed a mysterious man. What of his adventures and past that remained untold? Read on and discover the life of the Shang leader, before he was even The Dragon but just a small boy named Liam. R
1. Prologue

Dragon Child  
PROLOGUE:  
  
Liam:  
  
I have been a warrior for as long as I could remember. I knew nothing of my real father or mother for since the very young age of four my life has been in the hands of the Shang's people. And, I suppose, I am content with this. What else could I have done with my life as a common- born boy, other then be a simple farmer or merchant if I had not become a Shang warrior? Yes; I am proud to be who I am and all of which comes with being so.even the bitter thought that I have no real kin to call my own nor heritage to look back on and gather strength. I am simply. the dragon child.  
The hard affirming earth quickly met the young boy's face in a nasty fall. The taste of dirt rolled over in his mouth as Liam coughed, breathing it in. His eyes shifted to a pale aggravated green, the only sign of emotion on the otherwise sweaty face.  
  
"Get up boy!" The Bear yelled with a booming authoritative tone. The training master held a fierce and imposing sense in his posture that would have otherwise sent fright into any of his other chargers. Liam only stared back at him defiantly.  
  
The Bear stepped on the boy's fingers and biting back a yelp, Liam found his inspiration to do as the older man had ordered, and leapt to his feet.  
  
A cloud of dust hovered over them in the large open arena meant for hand-to-hand combat training. A ring of sturdy old pine trees stood on guard all around, bringing seclusion to the sacred fighting zone. The sky above was a cloudless blue, the golden sun rising high above and in itself a sign of a beautiful afternoon.  
The boy stood there, his tired body absently sinking into a defensive fighting stance. It was a good thing too that Liam's body had not needed any persuasion from the mind for such a task; at the moment he was being assaulted by a wave of hunger and fatigue that seemed to deter much of his focus. He had been training with the older man since before dawn's early light without rest nor food.  
  
"Same routine as before. Go, now." The Bear commanded sternly and in turn the boy lunged forward with his weight shifting in movement with his punch. The older man blocked the boy's high punch, which barely fell above his stomach and countered with a quick sweeping kick that the boy jumped over gracefully.  
  
Liam tried again to land a punch but the Bear stepped swiftly aside and shoved the boy to the ground without holding back any strength. Throwing out his hands, Liam fell to the ground once more with a loud thud.  
  
"That's enough for a while. You grow lazy with your movements, take a rest." The older man threw a canteen filled with icy cold water in Liam's direction before seating himself in the nearby shade.  
  
Liam graciously grasped hold the canteen before thirstily guzzled down the liquid. With the last bit of water however, he poured it over his deep red hair and found a slight tinge of relief from the heat. The life of a warrior- a fine one it is, the eleven year old remarked silently but could almost hear his own weary sarcasm. His day had only begun and with that in mind, he pushed aside all fluttering complaints he held and got to his feet slowly, ready to meet life with a strong heart.  
Author's Note: And there you have it, the prologue! I must admit my liking of Liam and the sheer creativity that lurks within his past. There is so much one could work with, why I wouldn't be surprised if Mrs. Pierce had written her own story on him that we just don't know about. In short, he is really a character that has so much potential that I know it would be a shame to not give him a little credit. And so ladies and gents, welcome to Liam's childhood. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One:  
The Bear and Liam entered the camp's grounds together but before long went their separate ways, the young boy heading directly to the kitchen hut. No sooner was there a bowl of vegetable soup laid before him then before it was quickly devoured and ready for replenishing. And, as he ate in hungry silence, a tall girl casually sauntered over and sat on the bench beside him.  
  
Liam continued gobbling down his food, glancing only over slightly at the guest.  
  
"Well good day to you too, young Ironarm. Back from training with the Bear, I see. Did you have fun?" She asked with an amused grin. Everyone knew that one-on-one training with the Bear was hard and grueling, however, his teachings were useful and he did indeed have quite a few admirers. Liam was not one of them.  
  
"Good afternoon, Hawk." He replied softly, managing a faint smile. "I honestly am starting to think that the Bear is trying to kill me with his training."  
  
"Wouldn't put it past him." She shrugged and they both giggled.  
  
The young lady was quite tall for her age, with a solid build that gave her the befitting appearance of a warrior. Dark blonde tresses curved around her ears in a haircut too short to be lady-like and sea blue eyes looked out from a scarred and tanning face. Today, she was dressed in well worn brown breeches and an undyed cotton swordsmen's shirt. Black leather sandals were bond to her feet, but he knew she could just as well walk without shoes, for through the years calluses formed like his own and would allow her to stand atop a blazing hot sand dune without feeling the affect on her feet. Compared to most girls her age, she would seem odd, but Liam did not care how his friend stood against the appearance of a normal girl. To him, Hawk was the youthful embodiment of a warrior maiden.  
  
Hawk had been his friend since the very first day Liam had came to live with the Shang. He had always thought of her as an older sister, kind and protecting. Four years older then himself, she had only recently been given her Shang title. Liam smiled inside; the glimmering pride in her features still lingered from the achievement. And as he thought of her title, Liam's thoughts began to drift to his own future title and the adventures that it might hold for him.  
  
"Its almost time for the Wildcat's lesson, I better go make my way to her arena now." The Hawk stated as she slid to her feet.  
  
He nodded in acknowledgement and putting the bowl away in a tub said, "I have the same training session today myself with Wildcat. I'll go with you."  
  
~~~  
"Alright, since you all have paid such dear attention today's lesson, its time for you to show me everything we covered." The Wildcat said in a loud tone so everyone could hear her from their position in the arena. But upon hearing her words, there was an echo of moans and softly murmured complaints.  
  
"But Wildcat, that is too hard!" One child yelled out over the group and got a response of agreement from the others.  
  
Her black eyes grew unyielding. "Nonsense. Would you all prefer that I have you run to the top of Greywood Hill like last week?" The children all fell silent, shaking their heads in hasty movements as the memory quickly gave them a liking to reviewing the lesson.  
  
A wide satisfied smile crept up on her face. "Very well, then," she motioned her hand, beckoning, "Liam and Merlin, you two will fight first." The group parted to allow both fighters in, carrying their wooden staves.  
  
Merlin was only a year older then Liam and leveled out to be the same height, however was good for playing rough and sly with the staff. He had dull brown hair, trimmed so it fell just above his ears and wild blue eyes that possessed an angry nature. His lips curved into a sneering expression and Liam could only stare back at him, waiting with anticipation for the chance to begin.  
  
And then as the command was given, Liam found his body moving swiftly to escape Merlin's staff. A swipe at his head was dodged so only the whispering sound of the staff blazed his ear. Without thought, the young boy moved his staff upward and connected with Merlin's chin. The other boy stumbled back and Liam knocked him to the ground as his staff slammed into the back of his knees.  
  
Merlin fell, but was on the ground for only second before rolling to his feet and bringing his staff down hard on Liam's in a raging anger. There was loud crack of wood as Liam's staff broke in two and Merlin's hit landed on his shoulder blade with a fierce blow.  
  
This is over, Liam thought; he won. But Merlin continued to lurch forward with his staff and the Wildcat made no motion to stop the fight. Without a staff, the boy became fighting on the defense. Why doesn't someone stop this, he asked himself but soon realized that he must fight back, that no one was going to stop the fight. Liam ducked another swipe before bringing his left leg into a round house kick, catching Merlin off guard. And in one final assail, Liam planted his foot atop of Merlin's chest, leaning in with his weight to glare into the other boy's eyes. NOW this fight was over. And I am the victor, he said to himself with a sense of conceit that he was careful to hide. He didn't want others to assume he was truly vain.  
  
But as he was helping Merlin up, the other boy grabbed his wrist tightly and whispered, "Next time you will be the one on the ground, Ironarm and can insure you, you won't be getting up." The threat stabbed into Liam and left him in such a stunned state that he was not able to reply with a counter. What had he done wrong, except for win the spar?  
But he was shaken from his thoughts by the voice of his instructor. "Very nice boys," the Wildcat stepped into the circle and nodded to them, before turning to the group with a question, "does anyone notice something about this fight?" One of the older boys, the Badger, raised his hand slowly, and answered quietly, "Ironarm fought back, even without a staff, Ma'am."  
  
"Very good observation. Yes, young Ironarm fought back without his staff. And that is one of the key lessons of being a Shang warrior children; to be able to utilize what you have at the moment. And for this fight, it was nothing more then his own hands and feet." Everyone nodded, gathering the Wildcat's words in their heads.  
  
"Now then, who is to go next?"  
  
~  
  
That night, he laid in his hammock and swung softly in thought. The warmth of the fire fell over him in a comforting blanket as he inattentively heard the voices of the four other children in the hut carry on in a conversation.  
  
"Ironarm, what's wrong with you lad?" Liam's friend, a boy named Forestleaf, called out from where he sat close to the fire.  
  
Another friend, Skylar , too young to even have his training title shouted, "Yeah, you're too quiet!"  
  
Sighing, Liam jumped down from his hammock and walked over to the others by the fire. "It is the spar in Wildcat's lesson today- Merlin said something." He stopped himself from saying anything further, wondering if it was even worth bringing it up.  
  
Hawk's voice responded from one of the hammocks. "Ah yes, I saw how he looked at you in the fight. One would think you two were sworn enemies the way he was. Trouble, he is. Ever since he came here last year, he has been stirring up grief!"  
  
Forestleaf looked up at Liam curiously, "What did he say to you?"  
  
"Well, I don't know." His eyes shifted to sky blue, a rare hue he showed for it was a sign of nervousness. He had gathered the attention of all his companions, each of them now expecting him to say something.  
  
Taking in a deep breath he said, "Merlin made a threat of taking my life. I am quite sure he was only relenting his anger for losing but somehow it troubles me."  
  
Hawk sat up in her hammock, "As it should. He should know the rules, we do not make threats of death in the Shang towards our fellow warriors."  
  
"Aye, you should tell the Wildcat or the Bear." Suggested the Raven; a black haired girl who was the Hawk's foster-sister.  
  
"They are right, young Ironarm; it might be wise to tell the elders." Forestleaf said, chiming in with agreement. "You don't want to risk further trouble by letting Merlin get away with it."  
  
Liam nodded. He knew they were right. But in the same thought, apart of Liam was unwilling to report Merlin. Would it really be fit for a future mighty warrior to bring himself shame to bring notice for such a mere offense? Merlin had done nothing besides fling words. For both, Liam and Merlin they would suffer. No. He would forget it. Liam would tell his friends not too worry, and all would go well. Merlin might continue to hate him and make all the threats he pleased, but Liam refused to throw away his childish dignity for the sake of minding the rules. But, what the young boy didn't know was these decisions would someday haunt him.  
Author's Note: I will admit, I am making the Shang culture up as I go. Trying to use clues and tidbits from what little given in the books as best as possible, but I think its easier to just use ideas that I "feel" would work. I hope the different names are not confusing for anyone, lol. In regards to the titles, I figured a Shang warrior could have three different titles: Their childhood title (The name they use upon coming into the Shang and is used till their eighth year.), their training title, ( It could be assumed as their lastname eventually. From their eighth year to their fifteenth year this the name they use.), and finally, their rank title. (Used from their fifteenth year and on.) I figured a Shang warrior would adopt their rank title early for the obvious early deaths they learn to embrace. Nadar. 


End file.
